Educators Say Permits for Lay Teachers Won't Work

Educators Say Permits for Lay Teachers Won't Work Created by kblakeslee on 3/25/2013 11:42:58 AM

MUNSTER, Ind. (AP) _ Indiana school districts looking for new teachers say state permits for lay teachers don't meet the needs of the classroom.

The system approved in December by the State Board of Education allows anyone with a bachelor's degree and a 3.6 grade point average to pass a subject test and immediately qualify to teach that subject to middle and high school students in Indiana. The traditional path to the classroom requires training in child development, child psychology and how to run a classroom, along with classroom work before receiving a degree.

Valparaiso Community Schools Superintendent Mike Berta tells The Times that a person can be an expert in a subject, but that doesn't make them a teacher without skills like empathy and knowing how to guide students.